In February 2011, I was commissioned to teach journalism skills to a group of Year 6 pupils at Cravenwood Primary School, in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

The school was being redeveloped, and the idea was to support children to report on their school community and the new building.

In addition, the paper was also designed to celebrate the creation of a new artwork which formed the centrepiece of the new building.

We created a newspaper, the Cravenwood Chronicle. To download a copy, click here – and to read a blog about its progress, here.

Children learnt the difference between features and news; how to write shorthand; how to take effective and accurate notes and quotes; and how to structure a news article.

They went out and about in their community, interviewing local shopkeepers, and vox popping members of the community about fashion.

They also wrote about their latest school trip; the diversity of the school community, the importance of picking litter; and interviewed members of staff about what motivates them. The newspaper also featured a section commemorating the opening of the school building.

Working with a filmmaker, I also made a documentary film about the role of creativity within the school, interviewing staff, pupils, and parents.